Introduced today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BlackBerry’s new ‘Leap’ smartphone has ditched the famous QWERTY keyboard in favour of a 5-inch touchscreen. The device runs the BlackBerry 10 OS, features an 8-megapixel camera with edge-to-edge HD display and a textured back case, and will sell for $275 when it launches this month in Indonesia and Brazil. According to BusinessInsider, the BlackBerry Leap will be released in North America and European markets in April.

“At last year’s Mobile World Congress, BlackBerry launched the Z3, which had a full touchscreen. But the launch of the Leap gives BlackBerry a more rounded current portfolio — although it’s unclear how a BlackBerry phone without the signature keyboard — or any other standout features — will be able to compete with Android devices in the same price range.”

BlackBerry notes that the Leap’s battery life can last up to 25 hours of “heavy use”, on of its main selling points. The other feature of the device highlighted by BlackBerry is its security. The Leap is said to have encryption support, as well as built-in anti-malware protection and a back-up wipe and restore function.

For a better idea, check out the first hands-on video of BlackBerry Leap below:

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/blackberry-leap-full-touchscreen-smartphone/feed/0http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/blackberry-leap-full-touchscreen-smartphone/TD Canada Teases New iPhone App with Added Banking Features [LIST]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/lQX41GGB5Ss/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/td-canada-new-iphone-app/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:32:50 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=144016TD Canada Teases New iPhone App with Added Banking Features [LIST] is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>TD Canada customers, a new iPhone app is coming your way according to the bank. A splash page on the existing TD app is showing off a new app coming soon that will offer the following new features:

Check account balances at a glance without having to log in every time if you opt in to use the new Quick Access feature.

Add many eligible Canadian bill payee companies straight from the TD app

View and cancel upcoming Canadian bill payments with ease

Complete your mobile banking experience by logging out securely from any page

Strengthened security measures

While the images shown are low resolution, you can get a glimpse below of what’s coming for iPhone users:

The design seems to take UI elements from the existing TD Insurance iOS app, seen below:

The existing TD Canada iPhone app does not support the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus screen size, it’s not exactly pretty to look at. User reviews in iTunes have been critical of the existing app, so a new revamped app will be welcome by their customers.

Apple Watch will be released in three separate price tiers i.e. Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition, with each series including two display sizes and a variety of strap choices. Starting with Apple Watch Sport, Munster expects an ASP (average selling price) of $450 including configuration choices like case and internal storage options. The stainless steel Apple Watch model is expected to start at $499 to $549, with an overall ASP at around $650. Regarding the Apple Watch Edition, the analyst forecasts the base model to start at $4,999, while classifying segment ASP at $7,500.

Based on current pricing for Apple’s silicon iPhone 6 cases, which come in at $35, Munster sees elastomer Apple Watch straps to start in a similar $29 to $35 range, while leather bands could be priced between $49 to $59. Pricing for metal bands like the link bracelet and Milanese loop are more difficult to determine, but the analyst believes steel versions will come in at $99, while gold bands could be priced into the thousands of dollars.

“If you assume that 55 percent of bands purchased are elastomer, 35 percent leather, 10 percent steel, and about 5,000 total gold bands are sold, the average band ASP could be around $50,” Munster writes.

Lastly, Munster expects the Sport model to make up 55% of overall Watch sales, while the mid-tier Apple Watch will take 45%. As for Apple Watch Edition, Munster believes Apple might sell roughly 10,000 units this year.

Based on what we know so far about the Apple Watch, which model do you plan on getting?

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/499-usd-price-for-steel-apple-watch-4999-usd-edition/feed/0http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/499-usd-price-for-steel-apple-watch-4999-usd-edition/Pebble Time Kickstarter Update Brings Steel Version, Smartstraps [PICS]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/ADGeFtDvCCs/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/pebble-time-steel-kickstarter/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:07:53 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=143987Pebble Time Kickstarter Update Brings Steel Version, Smartstraps [PICS] is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>Pebble has today added another watch to its ongoing Kickstarter project, which has already raised over $13 million with 24 days still to go before the campaign ends. Called the ‘Pebble Time Steel’, it is an upscale version of the plastic Pebble Time, featuring an improved battery life of 10 days (instead of 7) and a machined metal case that comes in silver, gold and black finishes.

In addition, Pebble has also announced ‘Smartstraps‘, a unique modular hardware accessory system, which allows third-party developers to build smart add-ons like NFC, GPS etc. for both watches.

The Pebble Time Steel is available to the first 10,000 Kickstarter backers for $250 and starts shipping to backers in July. Those who have already backed the plastic Pebble Time can increase their contribution to pay for a Pebble Steel without losing their place in the queue.

The Steel version has the same water resistance, built-in mic and color e-paper display, but Pebble says it’s aimed at the professional crowd, rather than the more sporty, everyday look it says it created for the original Pebble Time.

Pebble details that its Smartstrap system is an open hardware platform, which lets hardware makers use a port on the back of the watch combined with the quick release band tech Pebble employs to add features to the watch via sensors, electronics, and even batteries built into swappable straps.

You could add a heart rate monitor, for instance, or a GPS chip for improved run tracking and fitness powers; a spare battery to bump up the life of the Pebble to multiple weeks; or environmental sensors to tell you about air quality and temperature.

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/pebble-time-steel-kickstarter/feed/2http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/pebble-time-steel-kickstarter/Google Said to Be Developing Android Wear App for iOShttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/A_ERNJl7aeE/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/google-android-wear-for-iphone-ipad/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:55:22 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=143991Google Said to Be Developing Android Wear App for iOS is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>According to a report by French blog 01net (via iPhon.fr), Google is developing an Android Wear app for iOS, and may release it for download in the App Store at its I/O developer conference in May, bringing support for all Android Wear smartwatches to iPhone, iPhone and iPod touch users. MacRumors notes that Google could be targeting iPhone and iPad users who are not planning to purchase an Apple Watch when it hits the shelves next month.

Currently, Android Wear smartwatches such as the LG G Watch, Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live are only limited to pairing with smartphones running Android 4.3 or later, such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and LG G3. All these smartwatches also need the official Android Wear app installed on Android smartphones for pairing. If Google releases an Android Wear app for iOS as well, all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners will be able to pair these Android Wear smartwatches with their devices.

“While 01net is one of the largest technology publications in France, its exclusive report has not yet been corroborated by other sources and its veracity cannot be confirmed. But given that Google is generally more open about cross-platform compatibility, and has an existing portfolio of apps on the App Store, there is a possibility that Android Wear for iOS could one day be a reality”.

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/google-android-wear-for-iphone-ipad/feed/1http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/google-android-wear-for-iphone-ipad/Apple Surpasses Samsung in Worldwide Smartphone Sales: Gartnerhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/W11CD_J4S9k/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/apple-surpasses-samsung-smartphone-sales/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:25:06 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=143981Apple Surpasses Samsung in Worldwide Smartphone Sales: Gartner is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>Apple’s record holiday quarter sales have helped the company retake the pole position in the global smartphone market from Samsung, reports Gartner (via CNET). By the end of calendar 2014, Apple owned more than a fifth of the global market (20.4%), though Samsung was close, it had 19.9%, the market research firm highlighted.

Between October 1 to December 31, 2014 Apple sold 74.8 million iPhones, achieving the best quarter so far. This was predominately driven by the huge demand for the first ever large-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in both the US and China, which showed 88% and 56% growth respectively.

“With Apple dominating the premium phone market and the Chinese vendors increasingly offering quality hardware at lower prices, it is through a solid ecosystem of apps, content and services unique to Samsung devices that Samsung can secure more loyalty and longer-term differentiation at the high end of the market,” said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner.

The Gartner report adds colour to an earlier Strategy Analytics release, which revealed Apple and Samsung as being head-to-head: both controlling a fifth of the global smartphone market. While the iPhone 6 was certainly a hit, this wasn’t the only contributing factor to Apple’s success; Samsung was hit by competition from low-end manufacturers such as Xiaomi.

Looking back to calendar 2014, Gartner observes Samsung sold 20.9% (392.5 million units), out of a total of 1.9 billion mobile phones sold, with Apple’s iPhone accounting for 10.2% (191.4 million units).

]]>http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/apple-surpasses-samsung-smartphone-sales/feed/1http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/apple-surpasses-samsung-smartphone-sales/Apple Car Threat Taken Seriously by Major Automaker Executiveshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iphoneincanada/~3/9qRnWkNR14o/
http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/apple-car-threat/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:27:41 +0000http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/?p=143976Apple Car Threat Taken Seriously by Major Automaker Executives is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource
]]>Experienced car makers spend up to seven years to develop a new vehicle from scratch, but Apple will have its own ready by 2020, says Bloomberg (again). Now, as the 85th Geneva International Motor Show kicks off in a couple days, automakers respond to what has been circulating in the news. And they apparently take the Apple Car seriously. What seems more obvious, though, is their openness to partnerships with tech companies for a better experience in the car.

Let’s take, for example, Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn’s comment. The company he represents is “interested in the technologies of Google and Apple, and I think that we, as the Volkswagen company, can bring together the digital and mobile world.”

Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, emphasized the importance of taking the competition seriously and pointed to the advantages Google and Apple have: They can make a fresh start, since they aren’t burdened with old technology.

“It’s exactly what this industry needed: a disruptive interloper,” said Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. “It’s a good thing but when you are one of the guys whose life is being disrupted then you are not necessarily looking forward to the event.”

Speaking with Reuters, German car and truck maker Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche sees a tremendous opportunity in the convergence of the “West Coast tech industry and the auto industry with its huge technological depth.” Daimler is open to collaboration with Apple or Google, he added.

“The traditional thinking in the automotive industry isn’t suited to exploit the opportunities in the Internet community,” Wolfgang Ziebart, Jaguar Land Rover’s head of engineering, said in an interview. “If you need committees and so on to make decisions, then you’ve lost before you started.”

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that she will sign off the deal, since she didn’t issue a ruling on this matter. Instead, she scheduled another hearing date before she signs off the deal.

“We are pleased court indicated she was going to approve the settlement,” Kelly Dermody, an attorney for the workers, said after the hearing.

The anti-poaching lawsuit was first filed in 2011 and accused Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe of conspiring not to poach each other’s employees, thus keeping tech worker salaries low and limiting job mobility.

The photo that was chosen by Apple is called “Ice Bubble Reflections” and was taken at Joffre Lakes in British Columbia, Canada. The bubbles trapped in the clear ice are methane bubbles from decaying vegetation at the bottom of the lake. As the ice forms, it creates incredible patterns that have layers of contrast and shapes right through the ice. It’s truly one of nature’s most beautiful phenomenons, and a favourite subject for photographers who know where to find them.

Dan explains he has no idea where his photo is being featured right now around the globe, but managed to track one down in the Euston Square tube station in London, England (via @LCBrennan):

Below are the other pictures taken by Canadians being featured by Apple. Let us know if you’ve spotted them (and Dan’s above) in your city or on the internet, as these people have no idea where their images are popping up!